


Lunch with Friends

by TulePubPirate



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Friendship, Gen, One Shot, Soul-Crushing Sadness, can also be tifa/aeris take it how you will, yes I'm old and set in my ways and still say 'aeris'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 16:44:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2277177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TulePubPirate/pseuds/TulePubPirate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tifa meets up with an old friend in an old church to talk for a bit over lunch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lunch with Friends

Tifa opened the door to the old, dilapidated church nervously, peeking inside to see that it was empty. It was late morning, and the sun was shining freely through the holes in the ceiling with no plate to block it out. The flowers were blooming in abundance along the new pond—Marlene had started tagging along with Cloud to take care of them, and soon Denzel had started coming too, and more and more kids, so that there were often a gaggle of them weeding and laughing and playing in “Aeris’ Garden.” But today the building was empty, for which Tifa was grateful. She liked the kids, they were all so sweet, but she would’ve felt self-conscious with an audience. She wanted some quiet, alone time with her friend.

“Hey,” she said quietly, walking up to the edge of the water. “I came by myself today—I thought we could have an early lunch.” She sat down on a board set up as a makeshift bench and began pulling some fruit and small container of leftovers from last night’s dinner out of a paper bag. A pair of birds started twittering overhead among the rafters, and she smiled at them. 

“Barret just got back yesterday,” she said. “He’s gonna be around for at least a month this time—Marlene’s really happy. It’s nice having him back. It makes the house a little crowded, but I like it like that, with the family all together, all of us talking and laughing, and in each other’s space. I keep having to remind him not to roughhouse with the kids in the bar, though,” Tifa laughed. “He’s just so happy to be home with Marlene, I guess he gets a little out of hand!” She took a bite out of her apple and chewed slowly. watching the clouds pass overhead. “I’ve been trying to convince Cloud to go jogging with me in the morning. I think it would be good for him, you know. And…I’d like to have the time with him.” The birds swooped down to skim over the water before landing on the far side of the pond, picking through the flowers. “He’s doing a lot better—Cloud. It was hard at first. He wasn’t sure of who he was, he was blaming himself for a lot of things. But he’s been trying not to isolate himself like he was before. He even worked behind the bar with me last weekend, when it was too busy for me alone!” She covered her mouth to laugh, the sound echoing around the room, scaring the birds into the rafters again. “He can mix a pretty good cocktail, you know! I wonder where he picked it up from—cause I don’t remember ever teaching him!”

She sighed, and smiled broadly at the dust motes circling in the light. She kicked off her shoes then, and climbed down to dangle her legs in the water, wriggling her toes and stretching her calves. 

“It’s nice,” she whispered. “I’m really happy with my life today.” She stretched her arms over her head and fell back onto the floor, staring up into the sky. She lay there in silence, just breathing in the scent of flowers, for a long time; for a while she watched the clouds chase overhead, throwing the room in shadow when they passed over the sun, and for while she closed her eyes, letting the stillness wash over her.

“We all still miss you,” she whispered to the room, folding her hands on her lap and opening her eyes. “Sometimes, when I’m cleaning up at the end of the night, or watching Cloud leaving on his bike or I hear the kids playing outside through the window… It’s like I can feel you there, you know? Sometimes I even turn around to look. Maybe I’m just being silly, but I really believe,” Tifa reached out, as if to touch one of the rays of sunshine above her, “that you’re watching over us. I’m sure of it.” She closed her hand around the nearest beam of light and brought her clenched fist before her face. She opened it slowly, carefully, but it was empty. Staring at her empty palm, tears suddenly pricked at her eyes, but she heard chatter coming from out on the street—some of the kids coming to tend the flowers, no doubt—so she brushed them away and sat up again.

“I guess it’s time I got back,” she said, picking up her shoes and putting the remains of lunch back in her bag, then headed towards the doors. She turned around before pushing them open though, looking back at the room behind her, the water glistening in the strengthening sun, the flowers waving gently in the wind, the jagged shadows made by the remnants of ceiling beams. Her lips trembled in a small smile.

“Love you, Aeris. Bye.”

A small gaggle of kids were outside, none of them familiar, although they recognized her and asked if Cloud was going to be there today. She waved them off and turned down the ruined street, taking her time walking home.


End file.
